Italy

'Italy' Articles

An Italian judge has accepted a nearly $50,000 settlement agreement with the head of Apple's Irish-based unit as part of a probe into allegations that the company failed to pay taxes in Italy (via Reuters).
A six-month jail sentence for the Apple executive has been converted into the payment of a 45,000 euro ($49,126) fine as part of the settlement agreement, according to Reuters' source.
The original investigations were completed in March 2015 and accused Apple of booking profits generated in Italy through an Irish subsidiary in an effort to lower its taxable income base and save nearly €900 million from 2008 through 2013.
At the time, Apple had called the allegations against its employees "completely without merit". But in December 2015, it was reported Apple had agreed to pay 318 million euros to Italy – only a third of the amount it was said to have failed to pay in corporate taxes over the five year period. However, under Italian law, a settlement agreement does not imply an admission of guilt.
Milan prosecutors investigating the allegations have also asked for the case against two managers from the Italian subsidiary of Apple to be dropped, the source said.
Apple Italia is part of the company's European operation headquartered in Ireland, where Apple pays a significantly lower corporate tax rate compared to other EU countries. Ireland has a corporate tax rate of 12.5% for normal business activities, compared to a standard rate of 27.5% in Italy.
Apple's tax policies in Europe have come under intense scrutiny over the past three years, as the

Apple this week opened its first iOS Developer Center at the University of Naples Federico II's new San Giovanni a Teduccio campus, located in a coastal suburb east of Naples, Italy, and the company is already planning on expanding the initiative due to its popularity.
At an event celebrating the opening of the Developer Center that was documented by Italian site Maccitynet.it, Apple's vice president of environment, policy, and social initiatives Lisa Jackson told gathered students about an upcoming iOS Foundation Program, designed to teach many more students about the fundamentals of iOS app development.
A shorter version of the longer course at the iOS Developer Center, the iOS Foundation Program will see Apple teaming up with "at least five universities" across the Campania region to offer a three to four week course in app development. Apple expects the iOS Foundation Program to be available to 800 students during its first year, expanding from there.
Jackson shared few details on the upcoming program, but said it is aimed at introducing students to the iOS ecosystem.It's a great opportunity to magnify the wonderful beginning here. It's a great opportunity to work with students and teach across the region and advance our work and the work you're doing at the first academy in Europe.With both the iOS Developer Center and the iOS Foundation Program, Apple is hoping to give students the skills and understanding they need to transition from the education they receive in school to actually developing an app. According to Jackson, it's important to Apple

Apple's first iOS Developer Academy is set to open this week at the University of Naples Federico II's new San Giovanni a Teduccio campus, located in a coastal suburb east of Naples, Italy.
The campus will see Apple teaching 200 Italian students how to write code to create apps that will run on Apple's iOS devices during the nine month course. Students will be provided with a current-generation MacBook, iPhone, and iPad, along with tuition, all for free.
More than 4,000 students applied for 200 spots during an open enrollment program. Next year, more spots will be available, as the university plans to accept 400 students.
Leopoldo Angrisani, a professor who has helped get the program up and running, spoke with The Guardian and shared some details on the campus ahead of its opening on October 6. Apple had a hand in the design of the academy, which is housed in one of three modern-looking buildings with glass facades.The layout of the large, open-plan classroom was designed by Apple. "The didactic model is very new [for us]," Angrisani said. Small groups of students will sit at round tables equipped with special acoustic systems so the teacher can communicate with each table individually about their work. All courses will be taught in English, since it is meant to be open to students from around the world.
"Competition will be a fundamental part of the class," Angrisani said.Couches and a lounge area are included in the classroom, giving students a chance to rest, and Apple expects collaboration between students will be a key part of the classroom experience.

Apple and the University of Naples Federico II have jointly announced that the first-ever iOS Developer Academy will open in October 2016 at the university's new campus in San Giovanni a Teduccio, a coastal suburb east of Naples, Italy. The news was first reported by German website Macerkopf.
The free academy will provide more than 200 students with "practical skills and training on developing apps" in the first year, with more to follow in the years ahead, as part of a nine-month curriculum designed and supported by Apple. The facility includes labs and access to the latest Apple hardware and software."We are thrilled to be working with Università di Napoli Federico II to launch the first iOS Developer Academy in Europe," said Luca Maestri, Apple's CFO.First semester courses will focus on enhancing and improving students' software development skills on iOS, while second semester students will attend courses on the creation of startups and app design, and work together to create apps that could eventually be released on the App Store.
Students can find out more or apply on the University of Naples website. Applicants are required to take an online test in Italian or English, with successful candidates moving to an interview stage. The university will also be accepting applications through its website for teachers for the Academy in the coming months.
Apple's plans to open its first iOS app development center in Europe were first announced by CEO Tim Cook in January."Europe is home to some of the most creative developers in the world and we’re thrilled to be

Apple has opened registration in the U.S. and a number of other countries (links below) for its annual Apple Summer Camp, where kids aged 8 to 12 can attend a company retail store and learn how to create interactive books and movies using Apple products and software, ranging from iBooks Author on Mac to iMovie on iPad.
Apple's summer workshops will be hosted between 10:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. local time, on various dates between July 11 and August 12, in the United States, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. Parents are recommended to sign up early due to limited spaces available on a first-come, first-served basis.
This year's free workshops are called "Stories in Motion with iMovie" and "Interactive Storytelling with iBooks." A third workshop will be offered in the United States, Canada, and United Kingdom called "Coding Games and Programming Robots," in which kids will learn visual block-based coding for games, apply logic skills and problem solving, learn to program their own robots, and more.
Apple notes that children attending Apple Summer Camp 2016 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian for the duration of each workshop. Once their initial registration is confirmed, parents can register another child. All campers will receive a complimentary youth-size Apple Summer Camp

Apple today expanded its "Trade Up with Installments" program for iPhone to France, Italy, and Spain, enabling customers to trade in an eligible older-generation iPhone, Android, or Windows Phone smartphone and put the value of that device towards a new iPhone based on a 24-month payment plan.
When a customer in Italy trades in a used 16GB iPhone 5s for a new 16GB iPhone SE, for example, an amount of €16.98 must be paid each month for the duration of the two-year installment plan. A total of €425.52 would be owed after interest rates are applied to the price. Exact prices vary depending on the combination.
The program is effectively a loan handled by Apple as an intermediary, so customers will need approved credit to qualify. The exact amounts paid may vary depending on the condition of the smartphone traded in. Apple's financing partners include Sofinco in France, Agos Ducato in Italy, and Cetelem in Spain.
"Trade Up with Installments" was heretofore exclusive to the U.S., where the program is financed by Citizens Bank with a 0% interest rate.
Apple recommends that customers speak to a Specialist at an Apple Retail Store for more details. The offer is not available online and is set to end on August 31, 2016 in France, Italy, and Spain. Apple's similar iPhone Upgrade Program remains exclusive to the U.S., so this program is a viable alternative for financing a new iPhone.
(Thanks, setteBIT!)

Apple today updated its iOS feature availability page with 23 new Flyover locations around the world, including cities in the United States, Australia, Belgium, Canada, France, Italy, Mexico, Spain, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom.
Flyover is an Apple Maps feature that provides photo-realistic 3D views of primarily large cities and landmarks. In satellite view, users can zoom, pan, and rotate to get a closer look at notable points of interest in supported regions.
The full list of new Flyover locations is available below, but some areas may only now be reflected on Apple's website:A Coruña, Spain
Ajaccio, France
Archon, France
Bastia, France
Besançon, France
Blackpool, England
Bonifacio, France
Cabo San Lucas, Mexico
Calvi, France
Corte, France
Ghent, Belgium
Guaymas, Mexico
Messina, Italy
Mobile, AL, United States
Newcastle, Australia
Nottingham, England
Porto-Vecchio, France
Propriano, France
Raleigh, NC, United States
Salamanca, Spain
San Sebastián, Spain
Taichung, Taiwan
Wichita, KS, United StatesApple also confirmed that Maps traffic data is now available in Malaysia and Singapore in southeast Asia.
Apple added 20 new Flyover locations in 12 countries last

Apple CEO Tim Cook traveled to Europe this week to meet with European Commission antitrust chief Margrethe Vestager in Brussels on Thursday, before heading to Rome on Friday to meet Pope Francis and Italian developers.
Cook first met with Vestager to lobby against an European tax investigation that could force the iPhone and iPad maker to pay more than $8 billion in back taxes on overseas earnings, according to Bloomberg.
European Commission headquarters in Brussels (Image: Hungary Today)
Apple is accused of operating multiple subsidiaries in Ireland to avoid paying higher taxes outside the United States, where it earns just under 60% of its revenue. Apple books its taxes in Ireland using low operating costs, allowing it to pay a foreign tax rate of only 1.8%, according to the report.
If the European Commission finds wrongdoing with Apple’s corporate arrangement in Ireland, the company's $64.1 billion in profit generated from 2004 to 2012 could be subject to a higher 12.5% corporate tax rate -- just over $8 billion in back taxes.
A decision in the probe could be made by March, but may take longer due to additional information requested by European regulators. Apple continues to deny any wrongdoing, and vows to take the European Commission to court over any negative verdict.
Meanwhile, the agenda of Cook's meeting with Pope Francis remains private. The 15-minute discussion was held at 11:30 a.m. local time.
Pope Francis is known to incorporate technology into his position and takes to Twitter fairly regularly to share messages, and his old iPad was

Apple has announced that it will be opening its first iOS app development center in Europe at a partner institution in Naples, Italy. Apple expects to expand this program to other countries around the world in the future.
The center will provide a specialized curriculum for students to learn practical skills and training on developing iOS apps, and Apple will work with partners around Italy who train developers to create additional opportunities for students.
Apple CEO Tim Cook said the company's ecosystem now supports 1.4 million jobs in Europe, including 1.2 million jobs attribute to the app economy. In Italy, specifically, Apple said over 75,000 jobs are linked to the App Store.“Europe is home to some of the most creative developers in the world and we’re thrilled to be helping the next generation of entrepreneurs in Italy get the skills they need for success,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO. “The phenomenal success of the App Store is one of the driving forces behind the more than 1.4 million jobs Apple has created in Europe and presents unlimited opportunities for people of all ages and businesses of all sizes across the continent.”Apple recorded a record-breaking $1.1 billion in App Store sales during the 2015 holiday season. Christmas Day and New Year's Day both set single-day records, with customers spending over $144 million on January 1, 2016 in particular.
Apple has now paid European developers over €10.2 billion since the App Store

Apple has agreed to pay 318 million euros in Italy to settle an investigation that determined the iPhone and iPad maker failed to pay nearly triple that amount in corporate taxes in the country over a five year period, according to Italian newspaper La Repubblica.
Italian regulators in Milan concluded a tax probe of Apple in March, accusing the company of booking profits generated in Italy through an Irish subsidiary in an effort to lower its taxable income base and save 879 million euros between 2008 and 2013.
Apple has yet to comment on the deal, but previously said it has paid all necessary taxes in countries that it operates. "These new allegations against our employees are completely without merit and we’re confident this process will reach the same conclusion," the company said in March.
Apple Italia is part of the company's European operation headquartered in Ireland, where Apple pays a significantly lower corporate tax rate compared to other EU countries. Ireland has a corporate tax rate of 12.5% for normal business activities, compared to a standard rate of 27.5% in Italy, per The Guardian.
Apple faces a similar Irish tax probe by the European Commission, which formally accused the company of receiving illegal state aid from Ireland in September 2014. A decision in the lengthy investigation has likely been delayed until early 2016, as the Brussels-based executive cabinet has requested supplementary questionnaires.
Apple's tax policies in Europe have come under intense scrutiny over the past three years, as the company is said to utilize multiple

Apple today expanded its Personal Pickup in-store pickup service to France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Spain and Sweden. The launch of Personal Pickup in Germany was first noted by Macerkopf, and MacRumors subsequently confirmed the wider European expansion of the service.
Personal Pickup allows customers to place an order on the Apple Online Store or Apple Store app and pick it up at a nearby Apple Retail Store, generally within an hour. The service is offered for several Apple products, including Macs, iPhones, iPads, Apple TVs and the Apple Watch.
Apple notifies customers via email or text message when an order is available for in-store pickup with a valid photo ID.
Personal Pickup launched in the U.S. in 2011, but was unavailable elsewhere until last month. The service first expanded to Australia and Canada on November 17 before going live in the United Kingdom three days later.
Personal Pickup has yet to launch in other countries and regions with an Apple retail store presence, including Belgium, Brazil, China, Hong Kong, Japan, Switzerland, Turkey and the United Arab Emirates.
MacRumors broke the news in early November that Apple was planning an international expansion of Personal Pickup in Australia, France, United Kingdom and other countries, and the service is now live in all of those countries.
(Thanks, Andre!)

Apple is now accepting iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus in-store reservations through its Reserve and Pickup program in six European countries where the smartphones are set to launch this Friday, October 9, including Belgium, Italy, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the Netherlands.
iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus reservations on Apple Online Store in Switzerland
European customers can select an iPhone model, color and storage size and make a reservation at a local Apple Store for in-store pickup on October 9. Most iPhone 6s models remain available for in-store reservation in all six countries, but iPhone 6s Plus models are very limited at most locations.
When you arrive at the Apple Store during your 30-minute check-in window, most locations should have a special line for customers with reservations. Only the person named on the reservation can pick up the iPhone -- bring a government-issued photo ID. Reservations are limited to 2 per customer.
The new iPhones launch in 40 more countries on October 9: Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bosnia, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Greenland, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Maldives, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Taiwan.
Apple plans to launch the iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus in over 130 countries by yearend.

Apple has announced that two new Apple Stores will hold their grand openings in Nanjing, China and Florence, Italy on September 19 and September 26 respectively at 10 AM local time. Each store will offer traditional services such as the Genius Bar, Workshops and JointVenture.
Apple's upcoming retail store in Florence, Italy opens September 26
The new Florence store will be located in Republic Square (Piazza della Repubblica) and open on Monday-Sunday between 10 AM and 8 PM local time. Meanwhile, the store in Nanjing, the capital of Jiangsu, will be located at the Rainbow Joy shopping mall and open on Monday-Sunday between 10 AM and 10 PM local time.
(Thanks, Lapo!)

Apple will begin accepting pre-orders for the Apple Watch in Italy on May 8, according to Italian website iSpazio. The report, citing an internal source, claims that Apple Stores in the country have already received Apple Watch advertising materials and display tables for the wrist-worn device that will be setup on May 7 to prepare for the launch.
While not mentioned directly in the report, iSpazio administrator Fabiano Confuorto told MacRumors that Apple Watch pre-orders in Spain and "a lot of other" second wave launch countries will also begin on May 8. Confuorto did not specify which other countries, but we will update this article if additional regions are confirmed.
The sales process will reportedly be identical to the United States and other first wave countries, with Apple Watch pre-orders taken exclusively online at launch for delivery to home and, after the pre-order window ends, in-store pickup. Presumably, try-on appointments should also be available on May 8 in the second wave launch countries.
Second wave launch countries for the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus last year included Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Isle of Man, Italy, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Qatar, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Turkey and United Arab Emirates. Shipping times for the pre-orders could be 4-6 weeks or later in those countries based on current estimates on the Apple Online Store in the United States.
Apple Watch pre-orders became available on April 10 at 12:01 AM Pacific through the Apple

Italian regulators have completed an investigation into allegations that Apple failed to pay €879 million ($964 million) in corporate taxes, according to Reuters. The report states that, under Italian law, prosecutors can now ask a judge to bring the case to trial. Apple claims that it has paid all necessary taxes in countries that it operates and is confident that the process will be resolved.
Apple's flagship Via Roma retail store in Torino, Italy
The investigations accuse Apple of booking profits generated in Italy through an Irish subsidiary in an effort to lower its taxable income base and save nearly €900 million from 2008 through 2013. Apple argues that it's "one of the largest tax payers in the world and paid every euro of tax it owed wherever it did business," and believes that the allegations against its employees are without merit.It said the Italian tax authorities had audited Apple’s Italian operations in 2007, 2008 and 2009 and confirmed it was in full compliance with the OECD documentation and transparency requirements.
"These new allegations against our employees are completely without merit and we’re confident this process will reach the same conclusion," it said.Apple is one of several multinational tech companies, including Amazon and Google, that have faced corporate tax investigations in the United States and Europe. The U.S. Senate accused Apple of avoiding billions in income taxes in May 2013, while the European Union accused the company of receiving illegal state aid from Ireland after completing a formal investigation into its questionable

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